Kate Middleton is continuing a special tradition — and giving a peek into the preparations!
On Nov. 13, the Princess of Wales’ team posted a surprise new video showing the invitations for her fourth annual carol service, “fresh off the press.” It was announced shortly before that Princess Kate, 42, will host her Together at Christmas concert at Westminster Abbey (her wedding venue!) on Friday, Dec. 6.
“Something exciting is coming…,” Princess Kate’s team wrote on X, adding emojis of a Christmas tree and music note.
“The invitations are fresh off the press for this year’s Together At Christmas Carol Service, which will be returning to Westminster Abbey on Friday 6 December,” the caption continued. “We can’t wait for you to join us too! Tune in on @ITV and @ITVX on Christmas Eve.”
The quick clip was set to festive music featuring jingle bells and showed a metal press pumping to produce the royal invitations. While the video didn’t completely reveal the coveted invite, it did show that the white cards are topped with Princess Kate’s royal cypher.
Stamped in gold, the cypher read “C” for Catherine (Princess Kate’s full name) below a crown.
Kensington Palace said that 1,600 people will be invited to this year’s holiday concert and that the Princess of Wales wanted to recognize people who support those in need — individuals who have “above all else, shown that love is the greatest gift we can receive.”
The Prince and Princess of Wales/X
“This theme takes inspiration from the Christmas story, which encourages us to consider the experiences of others and the important human need of giving and receiving empathy,” the palace said.
At midnight on Nov. 13 local time, Kensington Palace announced that the Princess of Wales will host her Together at Christmas concert in London next month. The outing is expected to be Princess Kate’s next major appearance, as she has not fully resumed royal duties after announcing on Sept. 9 that she completed chemotherapy. The Princess of Wales was outside of the spotlight for much of 2024 to focus on her health after sharing in March that she was undergoing treatment for cancer.
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Prince William is expected to attend the Together at Christmas concert alongside other members of the royal family, though the attendance of three VIPs won’t be confirmed until that day. The Prince and Princess of Wales’ three children Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, tagged along to the concert last year in what marked Louis’ debut at the event.
Kate kicked off the tradition in December 2021 as a tribute to the individuals and organizations who went the extra mile for their local area during the COVID pandemic, and she has hosted the concert each year since to celebrate the best of what’s being done in communities across the U.K. George and Charlotte joined the fun for the first time in 2022, and the carol service has become a staple on the royal family’s annual calendar.
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The Princess of Wales was most recently seen at the royal family’s back-to-back events to commemorate Remembrance in London on Nov. 9 and 10. She appeared at the Festival of Remembrance at Royal Albert Hall on Saturday and Remembrance Sunday at The Cenotaph war memorial on Sunday in what marked her first consecutive official appearances after announcing that she completed chemotherapy two months prior.
“Being a senior member of the royal family and doing these ceremonial events is obviously important to her,” royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith tells PEOPLE of what it meant to see Princess Kate.
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“She is clearly a vital piece of the royal family, really important both symbolically and in reality as a future Queen. It was good that people saw her. You can’t say she is back… but she is coming back,” she adds.
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